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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28731150">The Golden Catch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/iero0/pseuds/iero0'>iero0</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boys Kissing, Crups (Harry Potter), Domestic Fluff, Fluff, HD Domesticity Fest 2021, Kneazles (Harry Potter), M/M, Magical Menagerie, Married Couple, Married Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Pets, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, magical beasts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:26:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28731150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/iero0/pseuds/iero0</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco and Harry go to the Magical Menagerie and look carefully at each of the animals, trying to decide which one to get. In between flammable salamanders, furious half-serpant-half-bird-creatures, and the fluffiest Crups and Kneazles, they find the perfect addition(s?) to their little family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>HD Domesticity Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Golden Catch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladderofyears/gifts">Ladderofyears</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thanks for the cute prompt, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladderofyears/pseuds/Ladderofyears">ladderofyears</a>! Hope you enjoy this little story.<br/>&lt;3</p><p>Thank you so much for the beta and your lovely comments, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drarrymadhatter/pseuds/Drarrymadhatter">Drarrymadhatter</a> &amp; <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/multifandomhomo/pseuds/multifandomhomo">multifandomhomo</a>!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry groggily opens his eyes when a wet towel lands on his face.</p><p>“Up, Potter. You’ll end up sleeping away the best part of the day.”</p><p>With a groan, Harry frees himself from under the towel, blinking his eyes open to a blurry version of the bedroom, Draco—naked and wet from a shower—and the morning sun, brightly announcing the dawn of a new day in pinks and oranges.</p><p>“Draco, it’s bloody <em>sunrise</em>. What time is it?” Harry feels out for his glasses on the nightstand. He rubs his eyes before putting them on and sits up in bed to watch Draco. He stands in front of a full-size mirror, casting a few light Drying Charms on his hair until it stops dripping down his back. While there have been times—both so desperate for each other, not quite believing that they <em>had one another</em> like that—in which Harry’s gaze would have most certainly drifted down Draco’s lean back to stay fixated on his attractive arse, Harry can’t avert his gaze from Draco’s concentrated expression right now.</p><p>When grey eyes meet green in the reflection, the thin line of Draco’s  lips turns into a smug smile. “You’re watching me,” he points out. After smoothing his hair down, he turns around to meet Harry’s eyes directly, his smirk turning into a full-on, genuine grin. “I still can’t believe we’re doing this, Harry.”</p><p>There’s way too much enthusiasm in Draco’s voice for this early hour. Although Harry can’t help but grin back at him. “You sound excited, darling.”</p><p>Still completely naked, Draco plops down onto the bed and pushes Harry back on the mattress to lie down right on top of him. “Are you not?” Draco asks with a soft smile and presses a kiss on Harry’s chin which Harry reciprocates by kissing the top of the wizard’s head.</p><p>“Very. Did you make up your mind yet? I’d still vote for the fluffiest Kneazle we find.”</p><p>Draco makes a musing sound while he pecks Harry’s mouth. “Yes, or a Crup. Or a snake!” His eyes light up at the idea while a small shudder jolts through Harry’s body. Snakes—even if it’s a very different snake than the ones they’d find at the Magical Menagerie—were still the subject of Harry’s nightmares far too often.</p><p>Of course, Draco notices. He cards his fingers through Harry’s hair and kisses him again. “I think you were right, love, with what you’ve said the other day. We’ll know which pet to get when we see it. And we’ll try to take one home today, but we won’t rush it.”</p><p>Pleased with their mutual understanding, Harry rolls them over until he’s on top of Draco, smiling against Draco’s surprised huff while enjoying the shared warmth of their bodies and the sheets for a while longer.</p><p>~</p><p>While Harry is on his second cup of coffee and halfway through the Prophet, Draco is on his umpteenth Tempus. “Draco.” Harry laughs, reaching out over the breakfast table to take Draco’s hand in his. “Impatient much? Relax, we’ll be the first ones to enter the Menagerie. I promise.”</p><p>“We’re adding to our family, Harry. This is serious. Who knows how long it’ll take to have a proper look through the whole shop? I’ve been wanting a pet for forever.”</p><p>“Yeah, I still can’t quite believe it. I never thought you were the kind of fellow to be obsessed with pets.”</p><p>Harry expects a retort but Draco only shrugs. “I was never allowed to have one.” When Harry only frowns at him in disbelief, Draco elaborates. “We had the peacocks, of course. But it was made very clear that I shouldn’t chase them around or anything, so I usually kept my distance. And we had dozens of owls. But they were there for practical use rather than to bond with them, you know. I always wanted something to care for myself, instead of having it fed by the house-elves.”</p><p>“And not even Narcissa relented?”</p><p>“First she told me I’d be too young to take care of a creature—which is ridiculous, any <em>fool</em> can take care of a Puffskein—and then she said that I’d be away at Hogwarts soon.”</p><p>“You didn’t have a pet to school with you, did you? Never saw you with one, I believe.”</p><p>“Urgh, I had an owl. I begged them to get a snake, but Father insisted that an owl would have greater merits than a cat or a rat or something—for corresponding back home. Said the school owls weren’t reliable enough. Got one of the specimens we had at the Manor. Look.” Draco takes his hand out of Harry’s loose grip and searches his skin for a moment.</p><p>“Ah, there.” Draco holds his hand out to show the slightest hint of a scar in his palm. “Aquila. He was a loose cannon, I tell you. Always pecked me when I wanted to feed him some treats. Didn’t want me to pet him either. And he was <em>enormous</em>. It was the most hideous creature for a child. I just wanted something fluffy to cuddle as hard as I could.”</p><p>Harry bows his head to put a kiss on Draco’s hand, first on his scar then on his wedding ring, eliciting a fond smile. “We will get a pet that will love us back just as much as we love them. Maybe even one that won’t cause us any more scars. Can’t promise you that, though. Hermione’s half-Kneazle could be unpredictable at times.“ Absently, Harry circles the faint scar on Draco’s palm with his thumb. “So… You’re not mad that we don’t get an owl?” Somehow it feels silly, but <em>still</em> Harry isn’t entirely ready for a new owl after Hedwig; the only living being that never left his side on seemingly endless summer breaks, filled with disapproval and tension.</p><p>“Merlin, no.” Draco makes a dismissive gesture. “I’d rather get a Blast-Ended Skrewt than a lame owl. We can both use the Owlery at work. We wouldn’t even need one. Now, why don’t you read me the Quidditch results, Potter? Maybe time will fly when you tell me just how deep in shit the Cannons really are this week.”</p><p>~</p><p>It only registers in Harry’s head that they are indeed adding a new member to their lives, which absolutely makes them a family if they hadn’t already been one before, when they enter the noisy and slightly odd-smelling Magical Menagerie. But Harry’s sudden rush of nervousness immediately dissolves at the mere sight of Draco’s beam when his eyes drift through the shrill shop.</p><p>“This is so overwhelming,” Draco says in awe, and takes Harry’s hand to pull him to one of the first creatures in sight. “Merlin, <em>look</em> at this one.”</p><p>They both stare in awe when a shiny azure-coloured beast spreads its wings and seems to grow like they had just cast <em>Engorgio </em>on it. Its long body reminds Harry of a snake—even more so the creature’s tongue when it starts to venomously hiss at them, tongue darting in and out of a snout that could as well be a beak.</p><p>“Please don’t provoke the Occamy, sirs!” An elderly witch comes running and urges them forward by pushing them by their backs, grumbling about oblivious customers.</p><p>“Perhaps it would be reasonable to <em>not</em> keep an Occamy right by the entrance if it is so easily <em>provoked</em>,” Draco points out with only the slightest hint of bite to his tone.</p><p>The shopkeeper readjusts her spectacles and takes a moment to look at them. “Oh, the Potter-Malfoys! What an honour, I’ll… How can I help you? Are you looking for a Kneazle? A phoenix? We don’t have one in, but I can order one.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Draco says a little coolly, smoothing down his pristine robes. “We’d rather have a look around ourselves first. Right, love?”</p><p>“Er, yes. Absolutely. Thanks, madam,” Harry says quickly, keeping an amiable tone with the witch. “Come on, she wasn’t half bad,” he tells Draco then, but the wizard isn’t listening. The huge grin is back on his face and he pulls Harry towards a counter with several crates on them full of rats, Pygmy Puffs and toads. Several Kneazles are lingering nearby, either rolled up into fluffy balls, grooming themselves, or observing the hustle and bustle of the small animals in their crates with dangerous curiosity. A slightly undergrown Kneazle with platinum-blonde fur seems to be unimpressed by its surroundings and stares right back at Harry.</p><p>“Look at this one.” Draco points to a black Kneazle with tangled hair, lazily lying on its back. “It’s got your hair, love. Can you imagine just how long it would take to work a brush through that?” Harry can’t decide if Draco’s tone is disapproving or enthusiastic.</p><p>Harry pulls a face. “Come on, ever since I started using that conditioner you found, it isn’t as bad.”</p><p>Draco only snickers and pulls Harry further along to the far wall of the room, stacked with terrariums from floor to ceiling. While some of them look empty at first sight, others are filled with colourful salamanders; green and black snakes with up to three heads; snails with shimmering shells; enormous spiders; and several toads, dotted in gleaming and sparkling warts.</p><p>Harry sees Draco’s admiration for several specimens of the snakes, but his husband doesn’t say anything. Instead, they just watch the amphibia for a while, startled when one particularly colourful salamander bursts into flames. “Fire Dwelling Salamander,” Harry reads. “Well, that explains a lot.”</p><p>When they enter a room off to the side, they are greeted with a bunch of happy Crups, wagging their double-tails at them, and a few animals that look more like non-magical dogs. “You’re so adorable!” Harry pets a particularly eager Crup on the head and the small, dog-like creature jumps up, his pale eyes full of joy. “Draco, look! It’s totally got your eye-colour!”</p><p>“And your manners,” Draco says, trying to sound unimpressed, but not quite managing. He squats down, holding his hands out to greet all the Crups that surround them. “Oh Merlin. How are we supposed to <em>not</em> take all of them with us?”</p><p>“Honestly? I have no idea,” Harry says with muffled laughter as the Crup he’s picked up tries to lick his face. “I’m- Darling, maybe we should come back in here if we know that we want a Crup. These little fellows will break my heart otherwise. What do you reckon?”</p><p>“Or we just stay in here forever,” Draco suggests, but gets up anyway.</p><p>On their ways out Draco stops dead on the threshold, causing Harry to bump into him. He uses the opportunity to fling his arms around Draco and tries to look over his shoulders to find the reason for their halt.</p><p>“You,” Draco says, looking at a Kneazle.</p><p>“You noticed it, too?” Harry asks. “It stared at me before.”</p><p>Draco frees himself from Harry’s grip and holds a hand out to the fluffy animal. Harry expects it to sniff it or maybe rub its head against Draco’s fingers, but instead it doesn’t do much more than just stare at them with olive-green eyes. When Draco retreats, he squints his eyes down at the cat-creature.</p><p>“This one is creepy.”</p><p>Harry shrugs. “It’s got your hair colour. I like it.”</p><p>Draco rolls his eyes. After a moment he crouches down again to twist the tag on the collar. “Medea,” he reads.</p><p>“Is it a Kneazle or a cat?” Harry asks, taking in the rather small size of the creature.</p><p>“The tag says it’s a Persian, not a Kneazle. Certainly looks like at least <em>half</em>-Kneazle. To me anyway.”</p><p>Since the cat doesn’t move away, they circle Medea, Draco still narrowing his eyes down at her.</p><p>When Harry finds a Jarvey, a magical beast that looks like a too-big ferret, Draco only groans at him and smacks his shoulder. “What?” Harry says sheepishly under the rude mutterings of the ferret. “It talks! It could help you out insulting all the people you find annoying. Me included.”</p><p>Draco smirks and demands a kiss. “It’s way less creative than me, Potter. The art of insulting requires a certain finesse. Don’t be daft.”</p><p>They look around the whole shop—finding more and more animals, each one more magical and colourful and friendly than the next—only to learn that they are indecisive. Draco’s gaze wanders through the staggering number of creatures in the shop, shifting from one foot to the other. When he sees Harry’s eyes on him, he pulls him in for a quick kiss. They just stand there for a few breaths, leaning against each other and watching a few Kneazles pick up a small fight.</p><p>“What are you thinking?” Draco asks, his hand resting on the small of Harry’s back. “You’re quiet, love.”</p><p>Harry feels tingly all over and stupidly pleased at the thought that Draco notices even the slightest changes in his mood. “This shop is just so overwhelming. And you know me—I’d take all of them with us just to give them a home. I think I can’t be trusted.” He presses a firm kiss on the soft fabric of Draco’s robes near his shoulder. “And I’m quietly enjoying seeing you so excited.”</p><p>Draco smiles, lopsided and a little smug, but his eyes are full of love. He opens his mouth to say something, but they are interrupted by the shopkeeper.</p><p>“Found anything yet? Have you seen our birds?”</p><p>“Oh, we are not looking for an owl.”</p><p>“We have a whole aviary full of other birds,” the witch says, gesturing towards another door off to the side. With the witch’s straight-forward drive, her hands are on Harry’s and Draco’s backs again—much to Draco’s dismay—and they are shoved inside the aviary before they even know it.</p><p>The annoyance is quickly forgotten, though, when they take in the sight of the room. It has a much higher ceiling than the rest of the shop and is filled with a few verdant trees and exotic flowers. All kinds of birds chirp, whistle and sing, some in their cages, some flying and floating freely about. “What do you think about birds other than owls?” Draco asks, awe-stricken.</p><p>“I’m…” Harry is still dumb struck at the unexpected sight of this magical aviary and the beautiful sounds surrounding them. “Oh, look! This one is a Fwooper.” He shows Draco a small puffed-up bird sitting on a thin limb. “I saw a bunch of them while working this case in South Africa. You need to Muffliato them once a month—their song drives people insane. <em>Not</em> metaphorically speaking.”</p><p>Draco cautiously brings his hand up and when he runs a finger across the pink feathers of the bird, it looks pleased. “I’d feel so bad to silence the poor thing. But it’s beautiful.”</p><p>They slowly walk through the circular room, pointing at different birds, trying to name some of the exotic species while every now and again one of the delicate birds lands on one of their arms or shoulders. Just when Harry wants to say that yet another room full of endearing pets in need of a home is not exactly helping their decision, his eyes catch on a flash of gold and his body instinctively shifts to follow the sight. Draco’s arm, his hand in Harry’s, twitches too.</p><p>“You saw that?” Harry asks and Draco only nods. When their eyes meet, a beaming smile grows on both their faces.</p><p>~</p><p>“You are the most adorable little thing, aren’t you?” Hermione runs her fingers over Medea’s fur, beaming down at the cat who just stares back, seemingly unimpressed but not moving away from her either. Ron looks slightly terrified while he watches Hermione pet the cat and give her treats excitedly.</p><p>Enjoying the company of his husband, his friends, and the warm afternoon sun on his skin, Harry’s eyes dart over the garden and the fruits of their labour this week. There, where there had only been an empty lawn before, now sits a proper coop; made from oak, and painted white, just like Draco had suggested. Harry knew that he would love the result; Draco just has this fierce determination in his eyes whenever he envisions something.</p><p>“So, will you finally tell us what we helped you build a <em>coop</em> for?” Ron asks, sitting up in his lounge chair. Medea doesn’t like the movement and abandons Hermione to jump up on Draco’s lap instead. Within the week that Medea’s been part of their family now, Draco has already found some of the right spots to tickle her and when he cards his fingers firmly over her head, Medea closes her eyes to the touch and starts to purr.</p><p>Since Draco is occupied—and Harry could <em>never</em> move or make Draco move whenever Medea decides to curl up in their laps, no matter how often Harry had to grudgingly rise at four in the morning to feed her—Harry stands up and checks the coop for safety again. “I guess I’ll get them—you okay with it, darling?”</p><p>With an excited flutter in his chest, Harry walks over to their little garden shed and carefully picks up a cage, trying to keep his hand steady and his voice quiet. He doesn’t want to scare the shy little birds.</p><p>When Harry comes back to his husband and friends, Draco is already lecturing them not to be noisy or make any hectic movements for now. “They’ll need to warm up in their new habitat first, you see? I’m sure they’ll get used to our voices after a while, but it’s not wise to scare them off now. Everything’s new for them.”</p><p>Ron’s eyes light up and Hermione gasps when they see the cage with its two little occupants. “Golden Snidgets!” Ron says, delighted and almost forgetting to keep his voice down a little.</p><p>“You two are crazy!” Hermione whispers. “With my position in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, I simply must ask you-“</p><p>“Mione.” Harry rolls his eyes at her, but grins. “Of course, we got a licence to keep Golden Snidgets. We learned how to handle them in Care of Magical Creatures once. We didn’t even need much preparation to answer a few questions in order to pass the test and get the permit.”</p><p>They all gather around the coop while Harry goes inside and opens the cage. He retreats and carefully shuts the door to the coop behind him. In curious silence, they watch the two golden, round birds take a few small steps outside of the cage and into their new home. Their feathers glisten and reflect the sun beautifully, very much reminding Harry of a snitch indeed.</p><p>“Will we, you know-“ Draco shoots Ron a death-glare before he can finish his question.</p><p>“We will <em>absolutely not</em> use them as snitches, Weasley. The poor little creatures have been through enough.”</p><p>"I just thought... It's easy to get the wrong idea, mate. Both of you were Seekers back in your Hogwarts days!"</p><p>“They’ve been keeping them together with a bunch of other birds,” Harry explains at Hermione’s questioning look. “Snidgets are easy to distress. Actually, they usually only ever fly when they are trying to escape danger. They’d rather just walk around on the ground.”</p><p>“So when they were still used in Quidditch…” Hermione’s voice trails off while she watches the golden birds roam the coop, slowly discovering water bowls and seeds. “That’s horrible. I’m so glad that you are giving them a nice and peaceful home. What about Medea, though? Isn’t she likely to startle them?”</p><p>“We were worried too but she’s such a smart and patient cat. Look.” Draco goes to pick up Medea and puts her right in front of the grid of the coop. Harry can’t help the grin that tugs on the corner of his mouth while he watches Medea simply, well, <em>stare</em> at the birds. She starts grooming herself after a while.</p><p>“You know. Cats are kind of creepy,” Ron says.</p><p>“Right?” Draco sounds as if Ron had said the most charming thing, a fond smile lighting up his face.</p><p>“They’re a boy and a girl, by the way,” Harry proudly announces with a nod to the coop. “Snidgets are still endangered. Someone from your department will check the coop next week, Mione. See if it’s safe and suitable in terms of the welfare of magical beasts. We already prepared a little breeding space in the closed area. Used some proper Warming Charms as well, but we might need it professionally done for the cold seasons. Especially if they—perhaps—lay eggs.”</p><p>“Sounds like you two are really dedicated.” Hermione crouches down to pet Medea again.</p><p>“Only two minutes ago you told us we were crazy,” Harry points out with a grin. He pulls Draco closer to his side, still admiring the happy smile on his face while they watch the fluffy additions to their family settle in.</p><p>~</p><p>The sun is about to set when Harry and Draco sit down on the grass in front of the coop again, a glass of wine in hand each, and Medea curled into a ball in Harry’s lap.</p><p>“Are you sad that we can’t properly cuddle them?” Harry asks after a few sips in comfortable silence while watching one of the Snidgets peck some seeds. The other bird cautiously climbs the ladder that leads into the housing area within the coop.</p><p>“Not at all, love. They look ridiculously droll when they walk. I could just look at them all day long. And besides…” Draco kisses Harry’s cheek, then starts to pet Medea. “We got Medea for that. She doesn’t show it, but I’m positively sure she enjoys all the attention.”</p><p>“Mhm,” Harry hums with a smirk, demanding another, deeper kiss in the quiet of their garden, calm with the slightest hint of a breeze and the last rays of today’s sun warm on their backs and sparkling on their Golden Snidgets.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mod note: Thank you for reading this work of the Domesticity Fest! Remember to send the author a nice comment and a lovely Kudo!</p><p> </p><p>A/N: Thanks for reading! You can find me on <a href="https://iero0.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>.<br/>&lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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